Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle: 10 Senior Officers Get Key Central Postings

A key appointment is that of Vipin Kumar, IAS (1996, Bihar cadre) as Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI). Kumar, who was serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has now been moved to the top position at AAI. The appointment gives him responsibility for an organisation central to India’s airport infrastructure and aviation administration. He will also move from the Civil Aviation Ministry to the Ministry of Rural Development as Additional Secretary, as specified in the ACC order.

In the Finance Ministry, the reshuffle  brings two important changes. Srikant Nagulapalli, IAS (1998, Andhra Pradesh cadre), currently Director General of Hydrocarbons, has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure. In turn, V. Ponnuraj, IAS (2000, Karnataka cadre) will take over as Director General of Hydrocarbons, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, following Nagulapalli’s move. Anand Singh, IAS (2000, Kerala cadre), has also been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA). The order specifically states that the period between completion of his foreign assignment and assumption of charge will be treated as compulsory waiting.

Administrative Reshuffle

The reshuffle also strengthens the education and human-resource administration architecture. Mandeep K. Bhandari, IAS (2001, AGMUT cadre) has been appointed Chairperson, CBSE, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary through temporary upgradation of the post. Meanwhile, Ankita Mishra Bundela, IAS (2001, AGMUT cadre), currently Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, has been moved as Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, again through temporary upgradation of a vacant Joint Secretary post. P. Hemalatha, IAS (2000, Karnataka cadre), Development Commissioner, Cochin Special Economic Zone, has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT).

The order also reflects the government’s practice of temporarily upgrading existing posts to accommodate senior officers at the appropriate level. Piyush Singh, IAS (2000, Maharashtra cadre), Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power, has been appointed Mission Director, National Water Mission, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary. Manisha Sensarma, IES (1995) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, through temporary upgrading of a vacant DS/Director-level post.

Another notable appointment is Sarita Chauhan Chand, IAS (1999, AGMUT cadre), who moves from the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Steel. Taken together, the ACC order represents more than a routine transfer list: it combines inter-ministerial movement, domain shifts, and temporary post upgradation to fill senior-level positions across strategically important areas of the Union government. The Department of Personnel & Training processes senior appointments requiring ACC approval through the Establishment Officer mechanism.